Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly of the Month...The GoodIf this award was given out for achievement on the playing field, the Red Sox would win it unanimously, but it's for something that's for the betterment of all sports activities (rules, regulations, conduct, etc.) both on and off the playing field. With that in mind, although the results of this particular trial are being appealed, this award goes to former Madison Square Garden executive Anucha Browne Sanders. I believe Sanders was the victim of Isiah Thomas' crude insults and unwanted advances in her sexual harassment case. Sanders was awarded $11.6 million from a jury earlier this month. Runner-up: The NFL adding $10 million to its medical fund for retired players to be used for joint replacement surgery, cardiovascular screening and assisted living...The BadThis sad case refuses to go away. Garrett Reid, eldest son of Eagles coach Andy Reid was taken into custody again after failing a drug test. Reid, 24, was required to submit random tests while awaiting sentencing on drug charges. Garrett needs help badly. Runner-up: Track star Marion Jones who acknowledged using steroids as she prepared for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney where she won 5 medals...The UglyIt doesn't get uglier than murder. LaVon Chisley Jr., 23, a former Penn State football player, was convicted of murder for stabbing a student to death in what prosecutors said was a crime driven by a desperate need for money. Chisley was found guilty of first-and-third-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors said Chisley stabbed 26-year-old Penn State senior LangstonCarraway 93 times in June 2006. Runner-up: Hank Hendricks, Doug Flutie's close friend and protege is charged with helping four assailants leave a man beaten, blooded and for dead in La Jolla (CA). The victim recovers otherwise that charge would be murder...10 Timeline Memories:

1926] Now you see him...now you don't: Harry Houdini dies from complications of a ruptured appendix at 52 or was he murdered? ArthurConan Doyle has been mentioned as a possible suspect as KeithOlbermann explains: http://youtube.com/watch?v=q0ZIrNmQUUo ...

1941] What huge busts: Okay get your mind off the female anatomy. Mount Rushmore is declared completed after 14 years of work. At the time, 60-foot busts of Washington, Jefferson, (Theodore) Roosevelt and Lincoln are finished and the landmark would soon open to the public...

1950] Breaking the basketball barrier: West Virginia's Earl Lloyd becomes, arguably, the NBA's first black player when he debuts with the Washington Capitols. Lloyd moves to Syracuse (Nationals) when the Caps fold. He would play one game before Chuck Cooper played for the Celtics. The first black NBA player I ever saw play was Sweetwater Clifton of the Knicks and there's some contention that someone other than Lloyd may have been first - the NBA says it was Lloyd...

1956] A streetcar named gone: Streetcar service ends in Brooklyn as electric buses (with the poles connected to overhead wires) replace them...

1959] We should have deported him: Lee Harvey Oswald attempts to renounce his American citizenship at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow...

1968] No trick, this is a treat: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, President Lyndon Johnson stops 'all air, naval and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam' effective November 1...

1970] Wedding Bells: Michelle Phillips and actor Dennis Hopper get married. The marriage ends in divorce 8 days later when Michelle discovers Dennis's sneaker smelling fetish. This is a recent TV interview of Michelle and label head/executive, Lou Adler: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VfVBaTWm3KY . There's some interesting info on Monterrey in the interview...

1984] "Happy Trails": India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 67, is assassinated by Sikh security guards. Her son Rajiv is sworn in to replace her...1988] Distinguished director, producer and actor John Houseman dies of spinal cancer at 86...1988] Debbie Gibson holds a seance at her Halloween party to contact the spirits of Liberace and Sid Vicious unsuccessfully but she does reach Zasu Pitts...1991] Broadway producer Joseph Papp passes away, a victim of cancer at 70...1993] River Phoenix collapses and dies in Hollywood at 23. Joan Rivers interviews River Phoenix: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7hi0XPKukVQ . Results of an autopsy reveal that he overdosed on heroin and cocaine...1993] Movie director Federico Fellini dies in Rome following a heart attack. Fellini was 73...

"Happy Trails" to Robert Goulet, born in Lawrence (MA) who passed away last night at 73. Goulet was waiting for a lung transplant after being diagnosed last month with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. Another piece of 'Camelot' leaves us. Goulet played Sir Lancelot in the 1960 play "Camelot"...The 'tardy' RichAppel on the World Champion Red Sox: "I know I'm a day late, but...I love the "new math". This was such a crucial WS victory for the Red Sox. It was one for every Yankee fan who insisted that 2004 was a fluke. Maybe if the Sox can manage to do it one more time before the decade is out, we'll finally stop hearing 'yeah...but...they're still no Yankees'. It's been a long, hard climb. Congrats to Terry, Theo and John. Finally, Boston has the team it deserves. Ionly wish I was there to share in the celebration." Rich was busy putting another excellent 'Hz So Good' together...Paul Power remembers meeting TomDonahue a.k.a. "The Father of FM Radio" at WRKO. I never met the man but both he and the KHJ Bobby Mitchell were alums of WMID Atlantic City...

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Having fun with lyrics...Whenever I wrote music trivia questions, I would go online to one of those lyric websites for accurate song lyrics. There are times when I'm stumped by lyrics of a favorite song now and search online for them. We all do it, right? Whether you're running a contest or not, you want to know the real words. Listeners truly believe that the lyrics to "Drift Away" are "Give me the Beach Boys and soothemy soul", the Rascals' "Groovin": "You and me and Lesley", Crystal Gayle, "Donuts make my brown eyes blue." Regular CBS-FM listener Leonard, who would get upset with everything, once asked me if a countdown I was writing contained one of his favorite Gordon Lightfoot songs, "The Wreck ofthe Ella Fitzgerald"? ...Websites that supply lyric content (AZ Lyrics Universe and Lyrics.com) have become an endangered species and are about to be wiped out by AOL Music and MTV Networks. Those two websites, along with other lyric sites publish lyrics to songs illegally. In the coming weeks, AOL will offer lyrics as part of their editorial features and MTV will offer music lyric features on MTV, VH1 and CMT starting next month. Yahoo! Music and Real Networks' Rhapsody started offering lyrics earlier this year...Gracenote, a digital music services company will be the chief supplier of lyrics to both AOL and MTV. You can bet it will be easier to get lyrics to songs by JustinTimberlake, Beyonce, Tim McGraw and others than it will to find out if Jimi Hendrix really did sing, "Scuse me while I kiss this guy"...10 Timeline Memories:

1938] War of the Worlds: H.G. Wells' epic is aired on "Mercury Theater onthe air presents Orson Welles". Of the 6 million listeners, more than 1.7 million believed the fictional account of Martians invading New Jersey. Maybe they were looking for Jimmy Hoffa. Here's the opening of the bogus invasion (audio only): http://youtube.com/watch?v=4wf5TPVz56A ...

1961] Body? What body?: The Soviet Party Congress orders the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb, setting up this great trivia question: Who's buried in Stalin's tomb? Ans: Nobody...

1966] Johnny U: The greatest QB of them all, Johnny Unitas passes Y.A.Tittle as the all-time passing leader with 252 yards in a game. Johnny U. will also become the 1st QB to pass for over 40,000 yards. Here's a fitting tribute to number 19: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aihFz9_uPuU ...

1974] Are you ready to rumble?: "The Rumble in the Jungle" is fought in Kinshasa, Zaire with Muhammad Ali beating George Foreman on a TKO in the 8th round and here's that knockout: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kf64ZCYVcEI ...

1975] DROP DEAD!!!: That was the subtle headline on page one of the New York Daily News after President Gerald R. Ford says he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City. Yep, better to use the money on police body armor in Keokuk, Iowa any day...

1989] A piece of the Rock: Mitsubishi Estate Company announces the buying of 51% of Rockefeller Group Inc. This includes Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center...

1997] Convicted: A Cambridge (MA) jury convicts British au pair LouiseWoodward of second degree murder in the death of 8-month old MatthewEappen. The judge later reduces the verdict to manslaughter and sets Woodward free. Who was the judge? Lance Ito???

2000] "Happy Trails": Legendary comedian and the first host of "TheTonight Show", author and composer Steve Allen dies from cardiac arrest at 78 and here's a rare clip of Steve hosting the show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QPwRo0YTTe4 ...

Music Memories:

1973] Released on this date: "Mind Games" LP - John Lennon...

1984] Record Breaking: Barry Manilow breaks Diana Ross's box office record at Radio City Music Hall with sales exceeding $1.9 million. Miss Ross's record was $1.8...

1984] They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway: Linda Ronstadt makes her operatic debut in "La Boheme"...

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the death of a dear friend to everyone associated with him through the years, Tommy Noonan. Tommy, a victim of cancer of the bladder worked endlessly as a conduit for the gathering of former CBS Records employees with his Alumni newsletter and lunches held on both coasts. Tommy, your spirit and friendship are missed by everyone you touched..."Happy Trails" to Porter Wagoner who passed away on October 28. I remember watching Porter and Dolly Parton, who he took under his wing, on a weekly TV show. Wagoner was 80 when he passed away from lung cancer...In response to my commentary on the Red Sox, Tom Kennedy comments: "It was another late, but very rewarding, night and I like the new math. Hold that Pats thought too! BC is doing OK as well. I can tell that you hold Boston near and dear and I won't hold that NY thing against you." This is from Harvey Mednick: "And maybe even the rebuilt Celtics with KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Could be a sports Trifecta in the Hub City." FYI:The parade for the Red Sox starts at noon at the corner of Kilmamock and Boylston...

Monday, October 29, 2007

Do The New Math...You've probably seen the t-shirt worn by Yankee fans. The front of the shirt in bold type advises: Do The Math. The back of the shirt lists the 26 championship years the Yankees have celebrated. Fair enough, but there's a new shirt to be worn by Red Sox fans starting this morning. This one proudly proclaims: Do The New Math and the back should say: World Championships Won in this Century: Red Sox 2 Yankees 0 or for you purists who insist that the century starts when the first two digits change, Red Sox 2 Yankees 1...For the first time in this decade/century, a team has won more than once and that would be the Boston Red Sox. Since the Yankees three-peated in '98/'99/'00, a different team has won the Fall Classic, until this year. Congratulations Red Sox Nation. Now, how about 2 for 2 for Boston with the Patriots???Here's the ending of last night's game: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=867415569914540325&q=red+sox+win+world+series+total=155&start ...10 Timeline Memories:

1652] The birth of the Bay State: The Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaims itself an independent commonwealth. Knowing this wouldn't work on a t-shirt, the founding fathers rename it Massachusetts...

1998] Deja Vu all over again: The space shuttle Discovery blasts off with 77-year old John Glenn. In 1962 he was the first American astronaut to orbit...

2004] Osama sighting: Osama bin Laden in a videotaped statement, directly admits for the first time, ordering the September 11 attacks. He tells America "the best way to avoid another Manhattan" is to stop threatening Muslims' security...

Music Memories:

1957] Released on this date: "Oh Boy" - Buddy Holly (it may be out-of-sync but this video clip shows Buddy doing the song live on "The Ed SullivanShow": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XheL2qKCDuI )...1977] "Bat OutOf Hell" LP - Meatloaf...

With their shellacking of the Redskins and the Colts winning, next up for the undefeated Patriots and Indianapolis will be a face-to-face battle on Sunday. This is the first time since 1921 that two undefeated NFL teams with at least 7 wins (Colts 7-0) and Patriots (8-0) will face each other. Manning vs. Brady in the game of the year. It's scheduled as the late game Sunday afternoon. Bring your popcorn...

Friday, October 26, 2007

Zogby conducted a poll with some really interesting results, as follows:

24% of Americans (Zogby does international polls as well) said the Internet could serve as a replacement for a significant other. (Huh? A quarter of those polled would trade their loved one, or should I say not-so-much loved one? for a Dell Inspiron 531?) What's going on here???

More than half of those polled believe that Internet content such as video should be controlled in some way by the government. (Not the people I know, my friend). Demo-wise, 72% of those over 70 support government regulation and ratings. Only 33% of 18 to 24 year-olds support government regulation (no surprise there)...

More than one in four Americans has a social networking profile such as MySpace or Facebook. You know the next part. 78% are 18 to 24...

11% of those polled would be willing to safely implant a device that enabled them to use their mind to access the Internet. Men were much more willing than women (17% to 7%). Now this is downright scary...

While most Americans don't want the Internet implanted in their brain, nearly one in five would be willing to have a chip implanted in their child to track a child's whereabouts...

This is another frightening result. While identity theft is a well documented fear, many would gladly give up their name for a cash windfall. If offered $100,000 by someone who wanted to adopt their name, more than one in five would change their name to something completely different. 34% of 18 to 24 year olds were prepared to take the offer...

This study shows that we are a society addicted to the Internet, among other things. There were other results of the study that were much too off-the-wall to include, like whether or not the Internet has an effect on spirituality, are people more turned on by iPhone or famous celebrities - dumb stuff like that. As always, I suggest taking the study for what you think it's worth, no more, no less. As always there's something to be learned from it...

10 Timeline Memories:

1955] Premiered on this date: "Rebel Without A Cause" starring James Dean. Dean's signature movie opens several weeks after his tragic death at 24...1955] The Village Voice is published...1970] Gary Trudeau's "Doonesbury" premieres in 28 newspapers...

1965] Beatles Esq: The Beatles receive MBE (Member of the British Empire) honors at Buckingham Palace...

1980] Marathon Man: 22-year old college senior Alberto Salazar runs his first New York City Marathon and sets a new course record of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 41 seconds...

1984] Prolonging Life: A newborn with a severe heart defect is given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in California. She lives for 21 more days...

1985] World Series Memories: Umpire Don Denkinger's controversial "safe" call at first base helps KC beat St. Louis in game 6 of the WS. The Royals go on to win game 7 and the WS as a result. In fairness to Denkinger, he takes the blame for making a bad call and is hounded forever by Cardinals fans...1997] The Florida Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians to win the WS after just 5 years in existence...2005] The Chicago White Sox win their 1st WS since 1917 by defeating Houston 1-0 in game 4...

1990] The Great One: Wayne Gretzky becomes the first NHL player to reach 2,000 points...

1990] "Happy Trails": William S. Paley, founder of CBS, Inc. dies from kidney failure at 89...1994] One-man band, Wilbert ("Kansas City") Harrison suffers a fatal stroke at 65 (he once opened a WRKO concert for CreedenceClearwater Revival at the old Boston Garden and wore cymbals on the inside of his knees in true one-man band tradition. He also played the accordion and drums but not at the same time. The crowd loved him)...

1996] Clear as a bell: Federal prosecutors clear Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic Park bombing...

2002] Russian justice: A hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ends with 129 of the 800-plus captives dead, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who storm the theater...

There is no other sports city as hot as Boston. The #2 BC Eagles came from behind to beat Virginia Tech last night to validate their #2 national ranking, the Red Sox beat the Rockies 2-1, to go up in the World Series, 2 games to none and the undefeated New England Patriots go for their 8th consecutive win against the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon. What a run for Boston!!! Congratulations to WFUV, the Fordham University radio station, celebrating their 60th anniversary today. On October 26, 1947 Arthur Godfrey emceed the first broadcast on 90.7 FM and Cardinal Spellman was also on the air to bless the station. According to resident radio writing guru David Hinckley of the New York Daily News, WFUV reaches about 340,000 listeners a week and has a budget of $4.5 million with a full-time staff of 28 and about 70 student workers, all of whom are paid. A few of the more recognizable names among the air staff: Dennis Elsas, Pete Fornatale, Rich Conaty and Vin Scelsa. Former alum include: Charles Osgood, Vin Scully, Mike Breen, Ed Randall and Bob Papa...

Timeline Countdown: One day until game 3 of the World Series, 5 nights until Halloween, 9 days until Standard Time and 21 days until Thanksgiving...

Saturday-Sunday, October 27-28, 2007...

10 Timeline Memories:

1636] Enter the Crimson: Harvard College is founded. The first school of higher education was originally called Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony. When I see someone wearing a Harvard t-shirt, I want to say to them: prove it but maybe that's just me (10/28)...

1858] R.H. opens a new store: It's called 'Macy's'. It was R.H. Macy's 8th business venture with 7 previous failures. This one on 34th Street sticks. The next time you take the boat to Nantucket, check out the impressive home that R.H. owned (10/27)...

1886] This is dedicated: The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in New York harbor by President Grover Cleveland. The original name of the statue: 'Liberty Enlightening The World". On the same date in 1936 the statue is re-dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on its 50th anniversary. In 1986 the centennial was celebrated on the island. The lady is still as majestic as ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9e3rIUILUg (10/28)...

1954] D-I-V-O-R-C-E: Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio agree to disagree. They were married on January 14, 1954 (10/27)...

1961] Breaking ground: The symbolic shovels dig into the dirt that will become the future home of the New York Mets, Shea Stadium. The new ballpark scheduled to open in 2009 will be called Citibank Field (10/28)...

1962] A record tying Tittle title: Giants QB Y.A. Tittle becomes the third QB in the NFL to throw for 7 touchdowns (Sid Luckman and Adrian Burk were the other two). The Giants blast the Redskins 49-34 (it sounds like a Patriots score) (10/28). Here's a tribute to Yelberton Abraham Tittle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww1Pi35Ckec ...

1964] Wedding Bells: Sonny & Cher say "I Got You Babe". Their marriage will end in divorce in 1975 (10/27)...

1973] Curtains: Secretariat, the greatest horse of our generation, wins his final race in Canada and then goes to stud after 16 wins in 21 races (10/28). "BigRed" will live to the age of 19 and here is a tribute to Secretariat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zHvR7K1btQ ...

1981] World Series Memories: The Dodgers come back from a 2-game deficit to sweep the Yankees. Yankees reliever George Frasier loses 3 games as the Boss looks for something or somebody else to punch (10/28)...1985] The KC Royals become the 6th team to win the WS after trailing 3 games to 1, to beat the Cardinals (10/27)...1986] The New York Mets win their second WS by beating the Red Sox in 7 games (10/27)...1991] The Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves in game 7 in one of the most-thrilling WS. 5 of the 7 games are decided by one run (10/27)...1999] The Yankees beat the Braves for their second consecutive WS title (10/27)...2004] After an 86-year wait, the Boston Red Sox beat the Cardinals to win the WS (10/27): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUpuectC8ls ...

1956] Released on this date: "Ain't Got No Home" - Clarence 'Frogman'Henry (10/27)...1964] "Come See About Me" - Supremes (10/27)...

1956] Number One on this date: "Love Me Tender" - Elvis Presley (replaces "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" after 11 weeks at the top of the charts as Elvis becomes the first artist to replace himself at #1)(10/28)...1966] "96Tears" - Question Mark & The Mysterians (10/27). Here's a live appearance from earlier this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrCTgpSPUL0 ...1975] "Island Girl" - Elton John (10/28)...1987] "Bad" - Michael Jackson (10/27)...

1960] Recorded on this date: "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me" - Ben E.King (10/27)...1971] "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and YokoOno (10/28)...

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Facebook Phenomenon...When you go to facebook.com, you get the following message: Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you. Talk about identifying your product right off the bat! You are then encouraged to sign up. At the bottom of the (half) page welcome is a Find your friends search. And how valuable is this four-year-old website started by former-Harvard student MarkZuckerberg? Well yesterday he sold a 1.6% stake of Facebook Inc. to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million (gulp)...

The Palo Alto based company totals less than $200 million annually but has been appraised at $15 billion (gulp). After losing a stake in AOL and ownership of YouTube and internet ad service DoubleClick Inc. to Google, Miscrosoft has struck gold with Facebook Inc. 23-year-old Zuckerberg turned down a $1 billion takeover offer from Yahoo Inc. just last year - a very good decision...

Although MySpace remains the largest social network, Facebook has been growing much faster in the past year. Facebook attracted 30.6 million U.S. visitors in September compared with 68.4 million at MySpace. Social networking is the fastest growing online community of consumers giving Web surfers a place to search for dates, connect with friends and family and share photos, videos and music...And it all started with the spots we used to run on the all-night show for dating services. Remember those? No program director in radio felt comfortable with those commercials that gave a phone number to call to match you up, but look at those numbers today, 99 million if you combine MySpace and Facebook Web surfers. Even taking into consideration that many consumers use both, that's a ton of users...

10 Timeline Memories:

1854] The 'Charge of the Light Brigade': Takes place during the Crimean War as an English brigade of more than 600, facing hopeless odds, charges the Russian army in the Battle of Balaclava and suffers heavy losses...

1962] Hell freezes over: In one of the most dynamic speech's of all-time, Adlai Stevenson, addressing the U.N. demands that Russian ambassador Zorin explain the presence of missiles in Cuba, saying "I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over". Simply brilliant!!!

1964] And you thought your sense of direction was bad?: Viking Jim Marshall, a very good player without a keen sense of direction, runs 66 yards in the wrong direction after picking up a fumble, resulting in a 2-point safety...

1981] World Series Memories: In one of the more bizarre George Steinbrenner moments, "The Boss" claims that he broke his hand in an elevator fight in L.A. during the 1981 World Series. Although the Yankees win the first two games at Yankee Stadium, they get swept in Los Angeles and then back home, "handing" the series to LA...1986] Bill Buckner happens and here's Vin Scully calling the play after some personal YouTube chatter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih7-PAB7pkU ...2003] The Marlins' Josh Beckett pitches Florida to the World Series Championship with a 2-0 shutout of the Yankees when he tags Jorge Posada on the hiney for the final out. And what a game, the new "Mr. October" pitched last night...

1990] Strike Out: The New York Daily News goes on strike. The strike will last until March, 1991...

1990] A champ named Evander: Evander Holyfield KOs Buster Douglas for the heavyweight title. Douglas held the title briefly following a surprise KO of Mike Tyson and here are the highlights of that (Holyfield-Douglas) fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpSQfdfsBek ...

1991] "Happy Trails": Rock promoter Bill Graham dies in a helicopter crash at 60...1992] Singer/songwriter Roger Miller is a victim of cancer at 56...1993] Horror film legend Vincent Price, a heavy smoker, dies of lung cancer at 82...1999] Colorful golf pro Payne Stewart and 5 others die in a Learjet crash in South Dakota. Stewart was 42...2005] Co-owner of the Giants, Wellington Mara succumbs to lymphoma at 89...

1994] Guilty as charged: Susan Smith claims that a carjacker drove off with her two sons but later confesses to drowning them. She will be convicted of murder and sentenced to life (a term she's now serving)...

1996] How do you mend a broken heart?: Joe Torre's brother Frank receives a heart transplant during the 1996 World Series. Frank is now 76...

2003] Winner, spelled B-o-w-d-e-n: Florida State football coach BobbyBowden becomes the winningest, dad-gum coach in major college football history with his 339th victory as his Seminoles beat Wake Forest 48-24. Bowden adds to that figure with every Florida State win...

1965] Released on this date: "Got Off Of My Cloud" - Rolling Stones...

Commentary:

If you have relatives and friends in Malibu and surroundings, like me, you're concerned about their welfare. Harvey Mednick describes the magnitude of the fires in this e-mail: "It's been amazing...although we live on the west side of L.A. about 15 miles from Malibu, we were never in danger, nor were any of our friends who live out that way. The devastation is incredible...they said the fire line in San Diego was longer than Manhattan island. And the pity of it all is that although the Malibu fire started when a power pole was knocked over by highwinds, the San Diego fire was arson...makes ya crazy". One estimate of the damage is $1 billion so far. I'm glad to know you're safe. Thanks for the report Harvey...

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

What the next generation of highly valued 25-54 year-olds is telling us...Paragon Media Strategies recently studied the next generation of the most-prized demographic of all forms of media, 25-54 year-olds and the results may set the standard for programming over the next 20 to 30 years. The online poll of 14-to-24-year-olds (no sample size given) found the following:

73% listen to music on sources other than radio (CD's, mp3s, iPods, streaming, satellite radio,etc.)...

Radio maintains a 41% share of the younger demo in TSL (time spent listening)...

Females 19-24 listen to radio significantly more than the other demos while 44% of younger females and males listen to radio more and 40% are listening to radio less (pretty much a wash)...

The major threat to radio? iPods and personal mix CD's. Online listening was also found to be an important alternative. Half of the 78% that have iPods, are now listening less to radio while only 20% listen more. One-third of the CD listeners are now listening less to radio while 20% are listening more...

Paragon President/COO John Stevens sums it up: "Our research shows radio is still in the game for their entertainment time, but radio has considerable ground to make up if it hopes to capture even the majority of the youth in the future"...

As with all studies, you have to look at the methodology involved, the sample size (not given) and where the study was done. You might say it was biased because it was conducted online where 100% of those studied were online users. Agree, disagree or take it for what you think it's worth but let's say 50% of this study is valid, you still better take note because those sampled are the valued demographic that will rule the next media generation...

10 Timeline Memories:

1861] Can you hear me now?: The first transcontinental telegraph message is sent from California to President Abraham Lincoln...

1901] You go first!: Anna Edson Taylor, a 43-year-old widow, becomes the first person to survive going over Niagra Falls in a barrel...

1926] Curtains: Harry Houdini plays his last performance, at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit...1988] The Islanders' Mike Bossy retires...2003] Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of supersonic transport to a close, at least for then...

1931] Debuted on this date: The George Washington Bridge opens to the public...

1940] Clocking in: The 40-hour work week goes into effect in the U.S...

1972] "Happy Trails": Severe heart problems take their toll on JackieRobinson who passes away at 53...2005] American civil rights activist RosaParks dies in her Detroit apartment at the age of 92...

1997] YESSSSSS: Former NBC sportscaster Marv Albert is spared a jail sentence after a court room apology to the woman he sunk his bicuspids into during a sexual encounter. Albert said his companion said she hadn't had a bite to eat in months, so he bit here. The judge doesn't bite-uh-buy it...

2002] Snipers snuffed: Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo are arrested in connection with the Washington area sniper attacks (they're both serving prison terms)...

Commentary:

The "Impossible Dream Red Sox" of 1967 will be well represented for game one of the World Series starting tonight at Fenway Park. Carl Yastrzemski will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and he will be joined by manager Dick Williams and 20 other members of that legendary team that jump-started the Red Sox post-season success. And as if that were not enough, John Williams and the Boston Pops will play the national anthem. It gives me goose bumps just writing this...

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The big boys keep jockeying for position in the race for your online viewing habits on a daily basis it seems. This time it's NBC which is moving in another direction, away from YouTube. For the last year, NBC Universal was hawking its wares on YouTube, the better to provide you with your fix of clips from "The Office", "Saturday Night Live" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" but no longer...

NBC will be doing the hula with Hulu. Hulu.com will provide online clips and full episodes of NBC shows but they won't focus on user-generated clips like YouTube. NBC programming, in addition to hulu.com, will be distributed on MySpace, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and Comcast. NBC may also include YouTube sometime in the near future too. YouTube will continue to share revenue and provide clips from CBS, SonyBMG, Warner Music Group, Showtime and Universal Music however...Clips of NBC shows will continue to show up on YouTube via user-uploaded clips as long as there's not a copyright infringement or the clip is pirated. That's what's great about YouTube's position. As long as they claim they will respond immediately to any requests to stop showing something at the request of the offended company, they're in the clear. You can't beat that...

10 Timeline Memories:

1915] Suffragettes: 25,000-30,000 women march on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan demanding the right to vote...

1946] UN meets to greet: The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time in a Flushing Meadows auditorium...

1956] Debuted on this date: NBC-TV broadcasts the first video tape coast-to-coast. It's a tape of Jonathan Winters performing...

1973] Dead air: President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over the Watergate tapes as the clock ticks...

1983] Beirut blast: A suicide truck bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon kills 241 U.S. Marines and sailors. Another attack kills 58 French paratroopers...

1989] Bizarre Boston story: Charles Stuart claims that he and his pregnant wife had been shot by a black robber. Carol Stuart and her prematurely delivered baby died. Stuart, who was white, was later implicated in the shootings and apparently committed suicide. Here's the news coverage, introduced by William Shatner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVLUePl4ngI ...

1993] Walk-off: Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter hits the 2nd walk-off home run in World Series history and for the first time a team from outside the U.S. wins the Fall Classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN9PM-YtPrs . Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit the 1st walk-off HR in Series history to beat the Yankees in 1960...

1998] Sniper attack: Dr. Barnett Slepian, an abortion doctor was killed at his home in suburban Buffalo when a sniper fired through his kitchen window. James Kopp is convicted of the murder and is serving 25-to-life in prison...

2004] "Happy Trails": Legendary tenor Robert Merrill, a fixture singing our national anthem and 'God Bless America' at Yankee Stadium, dies at 87 while watching game one of the 2004 World Series (Red Sox-Cardinals) at home...

Monday, October 22, 2007

Re-birth of a Nation...If you thought the Red Sox were a defeated team when they were down 3 games to one you have a bad memory. They came back from a bigger hole in 2004 against the Yankees (3-0) and wound up winning the whole ball of wax that year and should they win this year's World Series, they will have a mini-dynasty, being the only team in this decade to repeat. Winning two of the last four is a mini-dynasty in this era. But first, there's one obstacle, the Colorado Rockies, making their first appearance in a World Series. All the Rockies did to get there was to become the first team in 71 years to enter the Fall Classic having won at least 19 of their last 20 games (they've won 21 of their last 22). The Cubs did it in 1935...Get ready for the Rox and Sox, starting Wednesday night at Fenway. Jonathan Papelbon and the rest of the Red Sox are ready, as this recent dancefest shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu43lbTrvOQ ...10 Timeline Memories:

1746] The Tiger roars: The College of New Jersey receives its charter. The name of the school will change to Princeton...

1883] Meet the Met: The original Metropolitan Opera House in New York holds its grand opening with a performance of Gounod's "Faust"...

1934] Not so pretty: Bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd is shot to death by federal agents at a farm in Ohio...

1962] JFK tells all: President John F. Kennedy addresses a TV audience about the Russian missile bases in Cuba and the world will hold its collective breath until the missiles are removed and the crisis ends...

1979] Opening the door: The U.S. government allows the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment...

1981] Buh-bye: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization is decertified for its strike the previous August...

1986] Chopper down: WNBC traffic reporter Jane Dornacker is killed while doing traffic reports. Her chopper goes down in the Hudson River. JoeyReynolds was on the air when tragedy struck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e6sfiylUGY ...

2000] The Rocket explodes: Mets catcher Mike Piazza is once again RogerClemens' target, this time in the World Series when Clemens throws a bat chard in the direction of Piazza, who's running to first base: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P579ZYXArb8 ...

2002] The sniper strikes again: A bus driver is shot to death in Aspen Hill (MD) in the 13th and final attack by the Washington area sniper...

This is one of those senseless deaths that never should have happened. Max McGee, former Green Bay receiver who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, was blowing leaves off of his Minnesota roof when he slipped and fell to his death. McGee was 75. He co-founded Chi-Chi's chain of Mexican restaurants following his football playing days. Former Packers teammate Paul Hornung says, "I just lost my best friend." "Happy Trails" to you Max McGee...

Friday, October 19, 2007

E:60...The biggest stories in sports are 1) Joe Torre declining George Steinbrenner's 1-year offer, and 2) The Red Sox big win over Cleveland, keeping them alive in the ALCS. In Boston, Cleveland and in cities that generally hate the Yankees, that order is reversed, of course. Living in the bubble called New York City, it's an easy call to say that Torre will be the biggest story of the year, depending or not whether he really is through with the Yankees. Mike Lupica, one of the best writers alive, canonized Torre today. I was waiting for St. Joe Day to be suggested at the end of that column...I will not be following up on the Sox or Torre but will, instead, recommend a new sports magazine show I watched this week called 'E:60'. The show starts with a meeting of sportswriters discussing, one-by-one, the stories they chose to cover. These stories are "60 Minutes" type features covering items you may not have heard about or seen, like the estrangement of the Fielder's, Papa Cecil and son Prince. You'll find out why they no longer talk. There was a story about a star high school football player, accused of sexual charges and how the school is handling it. Will he or won't he play in the school's big game???The sports reporters on the show are ESPN regulars but not the stars of the all-sports network. The most famous of these reporters would probably be JeremySchaap, who's following in the footsteps of his late father, Dick Schaap and becoming a star sports reporter on his own. Tom Farrey, Rachel Nichols, Lisa Salters and Michael Smith round out the staff. The show is slotted, for now, at 7 p.m. Tuesdays on ESPN and will run for 3 more episodes in what amounts to a test run. The show hopes to return in 2008. It gets my vote to continue. I hope it does. Here is a clip of Tom Farrey during the 'pitch' meeting, discussing the story he chose to cover: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3066713 ...10 Timeline Memories:

1953] You're Fired: Julius LaRosa is fired on "Arthur Godfrey and HisFriends (except for Julius LaRosa)". Ahthuh says "Julius has lost hishumility" as the media searches for their Noah Webster. Here's Julie and Arthur in happier times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPS-hDTlgA ...

1959] Debuted on Broadway on this date: "The Miracle Worker" starring Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft...

1960] Shutting down Castro: The U.S. imposes an embargo on exports to Cuba...

2002] Sniper strikes: A 37-year old man is seriously wounded outside a steakhouse in Ashland (VA) in the latest attack by the Washington-area sniper...

2004] The bloody sock: Curt Schilling, bloody sock and all, pitches the Red Sox to a 4-2 win over the Yankees, setting up a winner-take-all game 7 for the ALCS showdown. Red Sox fans will enjoy this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpAYZYuQEw8 ...

2004] Bagged in Baghdad: Insurgents in Iraq abduct Margaret Hassan, local director of CARE International, from her car. Tragically, Hassan is later slain by her captors...

2005] Guilty as charged: A defiant Saddam Hussein pleads innocent to charges of premeditated murder and torture as his trial opens under heavy security in the former headquarters of his Baath Party in Baghdad...

"Happy Trails" to two big show business celebrities, starting with the "I" in "TheKing and I", Deborah Kerr who suffered from Parkinson's disease. Kerr, who also co-starred in "From Here To Eternity" and "An Affair To Remember", died Tuesday night in Suffolk, England at the age of 86...Joey Bishop, born Joseph Gottlieb, the stone-faced comedian and Rat-Pack member along with FrankSinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford, passed away on Wednesday night from "multiple causes". Bishop was the last living member of the Rat-Pack...On to happier things and the 1st anniversary of Lynn and Lindsay Brough of Lower Hutt, New Zealand. A very proud dad witnessed their wedding on a boat in Wellington Harbor exactly one year ago on October 21. Congratulations to both of you and to my niece Frann, enjoying her birthday (no age allowed) the same day...

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until the World Series opener, 12 nights until Halloween, 16 daysuntil Standard Time and 27 days until Thanksgiving...

Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21, 2007...

10 Timeline Memories:

1960] Premiered on this date: The Elvis Presley movie "G.I.Blues" (10/20)...1992] Madonna's erotic photograph book, "Sex" is released with a first-run of 500,000 copies (10/21)...

1960] Debatable: The 4th and final presidential debate between JFK and Richard Nixon is held. The debate was over as soon as both candidates were seen in debate one (10/21)...

1968] Wedding Bells: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy and Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onasis tie the knot. The marriage will end with the death of Onassis in 1975 (10/20)...1991] Clint Black and Lisa Hartman rock down the aisle (10/20)...

1973] Pudge walks it off: Carlton Fisk wins game 6 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Reds with his dramatic body language. Although this video doesn't show Pudge gesturing for the ball to stay fair, it follows the flight of the ball into the nets and Fisk running the bases and freakin' out at home plate (10/21): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVXLS6mCbTY ...

1976] Cy Young to Sayonara: The Nets sell Julius "Dr. J" Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers. What the devil were the Nets thinking? (10/20)...

1998] Sweeping into history: Following a 4-game sweep of San Diego in the World Series, the Yankees set a major league record of 125 wins for a regular and post-season combined (10/21)...

2004] The Nation Rises: The Boston Red Sox beat the Yankees to win the AL pennant despite being down 3 games to none in the series (10/20)...

Music Memories:

1955] Live from Brooklyn High School in Cleveland: Bill Haley & the Comets and Elvis Presley perform on the same bill at Brooklyn High School near Cleveland (10/20) Here's a clip of Bill Haley in action in a non-related TV appearance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaR_Bssx9ag ...

1958] Recorded on this date: "True Love Ways", "It Doesn't MatterAnymore" & "Raining in My Heart". This is Buddy Holly's final recording session (10/21). "True Love Ways" is one of Holly's most underrated songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCzxFgzlSE ...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

The House rules in our favor...That's a shocking headline in itself. In a story that was buried in online, radio, TV and print news headlines, we actually caught a break from our representatives on Capitol Hill. This past Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly approved a four-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access, despite widespread support in both parties for a permanent ban. The vote was 405-2. If you took the under (406 points) you lost. Said Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC), "This bill is pro consumer, pro innovation and protechnology." And what exactly does this all mean???Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said a permanent ban would ensure that businesses would continue to invest in the Internet and keep access affordable for users. Those last five words are really what we care about. Don't know about you but I'm taxed quite handsomely for my cable-TV and cellphone use now, thank you. I don't need another bill I don't understand but must pay. Up next is a Senate vote but apparently the Senate has made it clear that a permanent ban would be DOA. Watt said, "Without quick action, the ban was in danger of expiring before new legislation could pass." The tax ban, first passed in 1998 was set to expire on November 1 but the extension exempts some states that approve taxes prior to the original enactment...You might wonder why the Senate doesn't plan to make the bill permanent. Smith knows, "Democratic leaders want to leave the door open to taxing the Internet in the future." Now this is a story that shouldn't be buried because it affects all of us. Quite a bit more than whether Joe Torre is about to be made Yankee manager-for-life or not...10 Timeline Memories:

1867] North to Alaska: The U.S. takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million (roughly Joe Torre's salary per year)...1898] Hola: The U.S. takes possession of Puerto Rico...

1892] Can you hear me now?: The 1st long distance telephone line between Chicago and New York is opened...

1931] "Happy Trails": Inventor Thomas Alva Edison dies of natural causes in West Orange (NJ) at 84...1982] Former first lady Bess Truman dies of congestive heart failure in Independence (MO). At 97, Bess was the longest living first lady. Although Ladybird recently got close, Bess still wins...

1977] Reggie-Reggie-Reggie: Reggie Jackson makes World Series history with back-to-back-to-back home runs (each one on the first pitch). No one did it before or since...

2001] Gotcha: Four defendants are convicted in New York for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa...

Music Memories:

1957] Debuted on this date: Paul McCartney debuts with the Quarry Men in Liverpool...1969] The Jackson Five make their first TV appearance on ABC-TV's "Hollywood Palace". Sammy Davis Jr. is the host and Diana Ross introduces them, seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USsPvSbUbDI ...

I was sorry to hear about the passing of Teresa Brewer at 76. Teresa had suffered for years from the neuromuscular disease PSP, which also took the life of Dudley Moore. Brewer was a teenager when she topped the charts in 1950 with "Music, Music, Music". She also topped the charts with "Til I Waltz AgainWith You" and had several other hits including "Sweet Old-Fashioned Girl" and even did a duet (if you want to call it that) with Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle. In 1981 Teresa Brewer did this medley of her hits: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2rvxZT2SgSo . R.I.P. Teresa Brewer... On a brighter note, Paul Power tells us the name of the theme song for "The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show": "No Name Theme" by Dave Appel & the Applejacks on Parkway. Paul adds, "I faithfully watched that show and recall the IFIC button and may have even switched from Doublemint (GeneAutry's fave) to Beechnut Spearmint" ...

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Google techies come up with a plan...When I think of all the new technology that's constantly making the last electronic toy we bought obsolete, I think of the little helpers in the Keebler Cookie factory that rush around putting oatmeal and chocolate chips in the cookies. The techies must never stop working. It's a good thing they don't get paid by the hour or is that the reason they never stop working? Facing a $1 billion suit from Viacom and National Music Publishers' Association, Google is launching a new technology that claims to filter out unlicensed clips of TV shows, the very thing they're getting sued for...The new technology identifies digital fingerprints unique to a copyrighted video clip and keeps out unlicensed clips shown on YouTube. Google is now testing the technology with Time Warner, CBS, Disney, Viacom and NBC Universal. Viacom and National Music Publishers Association will still go through with their suit or as one media company spokesman said, "What remains is previous damages. This development doesn't solve that." ...Should this new technology be successful, it will prevent future lawsuits and whatever it costs Google now for previous indiscretions, this is a great move. I guess that's why their stock is worth $600 a share...There was more technology news overnight. Sony BMG and MySpace.com have entered into a deal to license music videos and select streaming audio to MySpace.com with Sony BMG sharing sponsorship and advertising revenues associated with its music videos and artist profile pages. You won't see any lawsuits between those 2 companies similar to the $1 billion suit brought against Google. The Keebler Cookie guys at Sony BMG and MySpace saw to that...10 Timeline Memories:

1919] Premiered on this date: The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is created...1967] The rock musical "Hair" opens at the New York Public Theatre...1973] "The Way We Were" starring Barbra Streisand and RobertRedford...

1931] Gotcha Scarface: Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion. Big Al is sentenced to 11 years. He will serve 8 and is then released in 1939...

1933] Brainiac sighting: Physicist Albert Einstein arrives in the U.S. as a refugee from Nazi Germany...

1964] Pinstripe musical chairs: The Yankees fire manager Yogi Berra, hiring Johnny Keane whom they faced in the World Series against the Cardinals...1978] The Yankees beat the Dodgers in 6 games to repeat as World Champs. They do not make a managerial change...1984] Lou Piniella is named Yankee manager...1988] Dallas Green replaces Piniella as Yankee manager...

1965] That's fair: The 1964-1965 World's Fair closes after 2 years. More than 51 million attended, including this WMID jock who did a show live back to Atlantic City for those 2 days with music and all from the New York State Pavilion. The remote was set up on a phone line. If you didn't attend, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPHbVY-Kq_A&mode=related&search= ...

1979] How Nobel of you: Mother Teresa of India is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on behalf of the destitute in Calcutta...

1989] Earthquake World Series: A funny thing happened on the way to game 3 of the Oakland-San Francisco WS - an earthquake. The Giants sweep the A's in 4 games when the WS resumes a few days later. You might say we felt the earth move. Ask Carole King: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9lcCFI_4XA ...

1991] "Happy Trails": Tennessee Ernie Ford loses his battle with liver disease at 72...1997] The remains of revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara are laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia...

2003] Oops: The New York Post pulls a 'Dewey beats Truman' headline of their own. Early editions include an editorial claiming the Yankees lost to Boston in game 7 of the ALCS. This was the infamous Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone game that the Yankees wound up winning 6-5 in 11 innings. Tim Wakefield, last night's loser served up the lollipop to Boone...

2006] Uncensored Census: The United States population reaches 300 million...

Music Memories:

1962] Number One on this date: "Monster Mash" - Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt Kickers (in 1973 it comes back and reaches the top 10)...1972] "My Ding-a-Ling" - Chuck Berry (his only #1 hit): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYnt3RTwl0M ...1988] "Groovy Kind OfLove" - Phil Collins (the original Mindbenders version went to #2 in 1966)...1999] "Supernatural" - Santana. It was the group's first Number One hit in 28 years...

In response to the video of Sam Cooke singing on the 'Dick Clark Saturday NightBeechnut Show', Ron Farber knew that it was the "Little Theater" that housed the show (Harvey Mednick was one of the pages who worked in that theater). He also noted other facts about the show but more importantly he still has his IFIC button that everyone in the audience wore as they chewed their Beechnut gum. Ron also has 3 volumes of Dick Clark's "All-Time Greatest Hits" 45 rpm EP's with 6 songs on each and how did he get these? "I sent away for them with BeechnutGum wrappers." ...

About Me

Mel Phillips Now & Then is more Now. The Then always follows the Now. Prior to starting 'Remembers' in 2005 and 'Now & Then' on April 7, 2008 I enjoyed a multi-media career which included being one of the Bill Drake program directors. I was involved in the programming of such legendary stations as WOR-FM, WXLO-FM, WNBC, WRKO AM & FM and KQV. I was also General Manager of Hooper Radio, played disc jockey in markets such as Tampa, Nashville, Norfolk and Atlantic City and enjoyed marketing success in syndicated radio for several companies including ABC, MJI and United Stations. My background also includes the music business where I promoted such diverse CBS acts as The Clash, Gloria Estefan, Loverboy, Judas Priest, George Michael & Julio Iglesias. In Special Programming at WCBS-FM I wrote and produced numerous specials and interviewed some of the biggest recording stars. In addition to this post I'm a regular contributor to Radio Daily News. My wife Diane and I reside on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and I'm very proud of my children, Robert Phillips, Lynn Phillips Brough and granddaughters Allyson and Amy...